Adjustable pay-off reel



June 27, 1961 H. J. CROTEAU ET AL 2,990,135

ADJUSTABLE PAY-OFF REEL Filed July 2, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS: V

HOMER J. CROTEAU WALFRED A. WA LLSTEN June 27, 1961 c o u ET AL 2,990,135

ADJUSTABLE PAYOFF REEL Filed July 2, 1959 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS:

2 HOMER J. CROTEAU WALFRED A. WALLSTEN United States Patent Ofice Patented June 27, 1961 2,990,135 1 ADJUSTABLE PAY-OFF REEL Homer J. Croteau, Oxford, and Walfred A. Wallsten, 'Shrewsbury, Mass, assignors to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed July 2, 1959, Ser. No. 824,597 SClaims. (01.242-129) This invention relates to an adjustable pay-off reel and more particularly to such a reel for paying-off bundles of wire. The inside diameter of bundles of wire vary as the diameter of the wire varies. Since it is impractical for each department in a wire mill to have a different size reel for each size bundle it has been the common practice to use reels which will accommodate Various sizes of bundles within a given range. Many of these reels are not adjustable so that it is necessary to make the stem portions small enough to accommodate the core of the smallest bundles to be handled. Thus a large bundle with a large core diameter will fit very loosely on the reel, this resulting in poor pay-off with creates snarls and slippage of the bundle on the reel. Some reels have means for adjusting the diameter of the stem portions to accommodate various core diameters, but such reels may not be entirely satisfactory because of undue cost or difficulty of adjustment.

It is therefore an object of our invention to provide an adjustable pay-ofi reel which is inexpensive and easily adjusted.

These and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of our invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken on the line III-I of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken on the line III-III of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view, similar to FIGURE 1, showing another embodiment of our invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a view taken on the line V-V of FIG- URE 4.

Referring more particularly to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawings, reference numeral 2 indicates a base which may be attached to the floor in any suitable manner. The base 2 has a vertical opening 4 therethrough for receiving a vertical shaft 6. A thrust bearing 8 surrounds the shaft 6 and rests on top of the base 2. A rotatable body member 10 surrounds the shaft 6. The member 10 includes a central sleeve 12 to which is welded a generally horizontal plate 14. A generally horizontal upper plate 16 is supported by rods 18 carried by the lower plate 14. A sleeve 20 is welded to the plate 16 and surrounds the shaft 6. Bracing 21 may be provided between plate 16 and sleeve 20 as shown. Bronze bushings 22 and 24 are preferably provided between the shaft 6 and sleeves 12 and 20, respectively. Four two-legged members 26 are supported between the plates 14 and 16. For this purpose aligned holes 28 and 30 are provided in the plates 14 and 16, respectively, and a bushing 32 is welded to the plate 14 in axial alignment with the hole 28. Inner leg 34 of member 26 has a collar 36 attached thereto as by means of a set screw 38. The other legs 40 of member 26 preferably slants inwardly and upwardly as shown in FIGURE 2 and is attached to the leg 34 by means of cross bars 42 and 44. A set of three holes 46, 48 and 50 is associated with each member 26. The holes 46, 48 and 50 of each set are arranged at different radial distances from the axis of shaft 6 and are spaced apart circumferentially with the distance from the axis of the opening 28 to each of the holes being substantially equal to the distance between the legs 34 and 40. A brake 52 may be mounted on the plate 16 to prevent the reel from overrunning. The brake 52 includes a bent bar 54 having a brake lining 56 mounted thereon. One end of the plate 54 is pivotally mounted on a pin 58 attached to the plate 16. The other end of the plate 54 has an opening 60 therein for receiving a stud 62 which is attached to a bar 64 welded to plate 16. Nuts 66 and 68 hold the brake in adjusted position. It will be seen that the brake is in a position where it can be readily adjusted even though a bundle of wire is on the reel.

In operation, the reel is arranged for the largest size bundle by positioning the members 26 as shown. This is done by lifting the members 26 upwardly until the bottom of the legs 40 are above the plate 14 after which the members 26 are pivoted about the axes of the legs 34 until they are above the holes 46. The legs 40 are then dropped into the holes 46 and a bundle of wire (not shown) is placed on the plate 10 around the legs 40. As the wire is drawn off the bundle in the usual manner the member 10 rotates about the shaft 6. To change the reel to handle a different size coil it is only necessary to again lift the members 26 until the legs 40 clear the plate 14 and to rotate the members 26 about the axes of legs 34 until the legs 40 are above the desired hole in each set of holes 46, 48 and 50.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in FIG- URES 4 and 5 a shaft 70 has its lower end received in the opening 4 of reel base 2. A body member 72 is mounted for rotation around the shaft 70. The body member 72 includes a central vertical sleeve 74 and a generally horizontal plate 76 attached thereto. Bracing 77 may be provided between the sleeve 74 and plate 76 as shown. The sleeve 74 surrounds the shaft 70 and rests on a thrust bearing 78. A second generally horizontal plate 80 is supported from the plate 76 by means of vertical rods 82. An intermediate plate 84 is attached to the rods 82 and carries a sleeve 86 which surrounds the shaft 70. Bronze sleeves 88 and 90 are preferably provided between the shaft 70 and sleeves 74 and 86, respectively. Four two-legged members 92 are supported by the plate 76. The inner leg of each of the members 92 is preferably made in two parts 94a and 94b. Part 94a fits in a hole 96 in plate 76 and has a collar 98 attached thereto by means of a set screw 100. The collar 98 rests on the plate 76. The top section 94b passes through a hole 102 in plate 80 and has a gear 104 secured to its lower end for rotation therewith. Collar 106 is attached to the section 94b below the gear 104. An elongated slot 108 is associated with each member 92. Each of the slots 108 is constructed on a radius about the associated hole 96. Outer leg 110 of member 92 is received in the associated slot 108. A sleeve 112 is attached to the top of plate 80 and surrounds a shaft 114 with a bronze bushing 116 being provided between the shaft 114 and the sleeve 112. A bronze washer 118 is pinned to the top of sleeve 112. A sleeve 120 is secured to the shaft 114 by means of a set screw 122. A plurality of vertical holes 124 are provided through Washer 118 into the sleeve 112. A hole 126 is provided in the sleeve 120 at the same radial distance from the axis of shaft 114 as the holes 124. A gear 128 is mounted on the bottom of shaft 114 for rotation therewith and a collar 130 is attached to the bottom of shaft 114 below the gear 128. The gear 128 is in mesh with all four gears 104. A pin 132 passing through hole 126 into one of the holes 124 prevents rotation of the shaft 114 and holds the members 92 from movement.

In operation, with the parts positioned as shown a shaft 114 rotated until the hole 126 is in alignment with the desired hole 124. The pin 132 is then placed through the hole 126 into the selected hole 124. Rotation of the shaft 114 rotates gears 128 and 104 thus causing the members 92 to rotate in unison about the axis of legs 94a and 9415 with the outer legs 110 moving in slots 108.

While two embodiments of our invention have been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. An adjustable pay-01f reel comprising a base, a shaft extending upwardly from saidlbase, a rotatable body member, said body member including a central vertical portion for receiving said shaft-and a generally horizontal portion attached to and extending outwardly from said central portion adjacent the bottom thereof, a plurality of two-legged members, means pivotally supporting one leg of each of said two-legged members on said horizontal portion with its axis generally parallel to the axis of said shaft, means on said horizontal portion for receiving the other leg of each of said two-legged members in a plurality of positions, each of said other legs being pivotal about its associated said one leg tovary its radial distance from the axis of said shaft, and means for holding said other legs in adjusted position.

2. An adjustable pay-otf reel comprising a base, a

shaft extending upwardly from said base, a rotatable body member, said body member including a central vertical portion for receiving said shaft, a generally' horizontal portion attached to and extending outwardly from said central portion adjacent the bottom thereof and a generally horizontal upper portion supported by said first named generally horizontal portion, a plurality of twolegged members, means pivotally supporting one leg of each of said two-legged members on said horizontal portions with its axis generally parallel to the axis of said shaft, means on said first named horizontal portion for receiving the other leg of each of said two-legged members in a plurality of positions, each of said other legs being pivotal about its associated one leg to vary its radial distance from the axis of said shaft, and means for bolding said other legs in adjusted position.

3. An adjustable pay-off reel comprising a base, a shaft extending upwardly from said base, a rotatable body member, said body member including a central vertical portion for receiving said shaft and a generally horizontal portion attached to and extending outwardly from said central portion adjacent the bottom thereof, a plurality of two-legged members, and means pivotally supporting one leg of each of said two-legged members on said horizontal portion with its axis generally parallel to the axis of said shaft, said horizontal portion having a set of holes therein associated with each of said two-legged members, the holes in each set being arranged at different radial distances from the axis of said shaft and being spaced apart circumferentially, the distance from the axis of the said one leg to each of the associated holes being sub- 4 stantially equal to the distance between the legs, each of said set of holes 'being adapted to receive the other leg of the associated two-legged member to vary the radial distance from the axis of said shaft.

4. An adjustable pay-off reel comprising a base, a shaft extending upwardly from said base, a rotatable body member, said body member including a central vertical portion for receiving said shaft, a generally horizontal portion attached to and extending outwardly from said central portion adjacent the bottom thereof and a generally horizontal upper portion supported by said first named generally horizontal portion, a plurality of twolegged members, means pivotally supporting one leg of each of said two-legged members on said horizontal portions with its axis generally parallel to the axis of said shaft, said first named horizontal portion having a set of holes therein associated with each of said two-legged members, the holes in each set being arranged at different radial distances from the axis of said shaft and being spaced apart circumferentially, the distance from the axis of the said one leg to each of the holes being substantially equal to the distance between the legs, each of said set of holes being adapted to receive the other leg of the associated two-legged member to vary its radial distance from the axis of said shaft.

5. An adjustable pay-off reel comprising a base, a shaft extending upwardly from said base, a rotatable body member, said body member including a central vertical portion for receiving said shaft, a generally horizontal portion attached to and extending outwardly from said central portion adjacent the bottom thereof and a generally horizontal upper portion supported by said first named generally horizontal portion, a plurality of twolegged members, means pivotally supporting one leg of each of said two-legged members on said horizontal portions with its axis generally parallel to the axis of said shaft, a gear mounted on each of said first named legs below said top horizontal portion, a vertical shaft mounted on said top horizontal portion, a gear on said vertical shaft in mesh with said first named gears, and means for holding said last named gear from rotation, said first named horizontal portion having a slot therein associated with each of said two-legged members, each of said slots extending circumferentially of said first named horizontal portion on a radius about the axis of the pivot sup- .port for the associated two-legged member, each of said slots being adapted to receive the other leg of the associated two-legged member, the radial distance of said other 'legs from the axis of said first named shaft being variable by rotation of said gears.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

